Best Friends Eternal
by PrincessSkywalkerOrgana
Summary: Twice when Sirius feels completely alone he finds his best friend James to lean on. NO SLASH.


Friendship eternal.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JKR and her licensees do

AN- I wrote this piece fast to help me digest and deal with a difficult day. So please be kind. I know it is not the best thing ever written.

"You are a disgrace." Walburga thundered, tossing her son, Sirius, against the wall.

Sirius spotted Regulus hiding behind the wall as he got up gingerly, wiping the blood off of his face. Sirius stood as tall as he could, smirking as he knew that Walburga wanted him to cower and look afraid.

"Gryffindor… James Potter as your best friend? An Auror's son as your best friend…" Walburga said, circling him, her wild hair flying everywhere.

"Dueling Bella?" She shrieked.

Sirius smirked at her. "And won. I bested your darling Bella and 'Cissa. And I am going to be an Auror too."

Sirius knew he had stepped over the line as his mother's eyes became bigger and her wand came down fast. "Crucio!"

Sirius writhed on the floor for what felt like hours. Sirius' father came by, sighed, but kept walking…. Stepping over Sirius to go to his den.

Not soon enough, Walburga levitated Sirius up to his room and tossed him in the room with her wand..

Sirius felt tears come unbidden and unwanted. His mother had tortured him with the Cruciatus curse. No one had spoken for him… not his father, not his baby brother. Sirius angrily wiped the tears. He was stronger than this! "I am out." He said to himself, marveling at how easy the decision was.

If he were honest with himself, he had only stayed the last two years because he didn't want to be a burden on anyone. But Mr. and Mrs. Potter had said he could stay with him. And he knew that James would always support him.

Still… Sirius paused. How could he ask Mr. and Mrs. Potter to put up with his mother's wrath AND support him financially for two more years of Hogwarts?

"SIRIUS." A holler came from downstairs followed by sounds of great thuds up the stairs.

"What is this? Cissa tells me you helped a pureblood date a mudblood? You traitor… abomination."

Sirius cursed Narcissa especially as it wasn't true… Evans hadn't agreed to date James yet. Sirius' mother's wrath would be unparalleled here… Sirius's heart thudded as Walburga approached.

Sirius stood tall, expecting the crack of the wand. Two hours later Sirius was disgusted at himself as he cowered away from his mother's wand.

"Enough." Orion thundered fifteen minutes later coming in. "Walburga, come to bed."

Sirius gasped for air as his mother left, finally letting down his guard. All he could think of was James' smile and his warmth. Tears escaped his eyes as he thought of his best friend….

Sirius half-crawled to his closet, got out his trunk and packed all the clothes he could in twenty minutes.

Then, craning to hear what he could from downstairs, he snuck downstairs and took as much gold as he could find around the house. "Serves all of them right." He thought viciously as he counted the gold. It would be more than enough for all his Hogwarts supplies for this year.

He snuck upstairs again and surveyed a room that didn't feel like his. He considered whether he wanted to take down the pictures of the muggle girls… and especially the picture of the Marauders. "I will take another picture." He decided. "But if I keep these up now, it will serve to annoy Walburga even more."

Sirius smiled nastily and cast another permanent sticking charm on everything in the room.

Finally, Sirius summoned his broom, stuck his shrunk trunk in his pocket, and flew out the window. He looked hard at 12 Grimmauld Place. "Good bye. I won't miss you."

Sirius flew to the Potter's as fast as he could. Towards the end, he began to lose consciousness. The torture catching up to him… He found his fingers slipping from his broom so he cast a spell to keep him on his broom.

Somehow he found himself hovering outside James' room. A place he had been many many times when he could escape from the family house. Before this, usually only for teas or sleepovers.

"James…" He groaned, with what little voice he had left.

But it was enough, two minutes later the widow popped open. "Sirius." James gasped, making Sirius wonder how bad he looked that James, even without his glasses, was horrified.

James leaned outside of his window and tugged at the broom. "Duck." James commanded, putting a hand on Sirius's back both to ensure that Sirius would fit and wouldn't fall.

James lifted an eyebrow, his expression somber, as he saw that Sirius wasn't getting off the broom. After James had attempted to lift him off the broom, Sirius regained his senses enough to say "Ch-Charm."

Before James could do anything, the Potters' house elf Kady, came in. She snapped her fingers and unstuck Sirius. "Kady go get water." James ordered, as he helped Sirius to his bed.

"And something to eat, please." James said, taking in Sirius' appearance with his glasses on.

"I swear! You couldn't have owled?" James said, wheeling on Sirius, obviously angry.

"I could handle it." Sirius tried.

James bit on the obvious, I can see that, instead said. "I would have rather you owled me then risk losing a best friend."

"I ran away."

"Like I was going to let you go back!" James said, an eyebrow raised. "You would have and will have to duel me."

Kady brought two people in addition to the food and water. James sighed as his parents walked in. He understood why Kady had done it but still wished she hadn't. He could handle this.

Sirius was grateful however, when Charlus didn't say anything. Simply looked him over and started healing the injuries and then moved to conjure a second bed by James' and matched blankets and sheets. Sirius was secretly touched that Charlus remembered that, unlike James, Sirius liked a soft pillow.

Dorea fussed over his injuries and watched as he ate.

After Sirius was done, and it seemed that Dorea was going to linger, Charlus said. "Good night boys. Call for us or Kady if you need anything."

Dorea got up. "Sleep well boys. Sirius, I am making waffles for breakfast."

James made a face at this. Sirius' favorite was waffles, but James was partial to the banana pancakes his mother usually made on Saturday morning.

Sirius laughed. "Thank you, Mrs. Potter."

She smiled at him. "Sleep well Sirius."

Sirius looked at James awkwardly once the door had closed. After all, what could he really say? He had shown up at his best mate's place at 2 in the morning. Woken everyone up. Eaten their food. And had the Saturday menu changed… all for him.

But before Sirius could open his mouth to say "Sorry and thank you" James pulled out his chess board. "We have time for one game before Kady comes up here on Ma's orders to make sure we have slept."

Sirius' eyes watered, but James just said, matter of factly. "Move!"

Sirius obliged, moving a black pawn.

Sirius fell through the veil, feeling the weight of his life lift off of his shoulder. The weight of being trapped in Azkaban… the weight of Grimmauld Place… of the guilt that if he had not suggested Peter, James and Lily would still be alive.

Perhaps because he was thinking this, when he took the train and arrived… beyond the first person he saw was James.

James looked exactly as Sirius remembered him, smiling, tall, thin… and welcoming. "Welcome, brother."

Without thinking, Sirius did what he had wanted to do for fourteen long years and embraced the man who was more than his brother tightly. Any remaining bad feeling disappeared.

"James." Sirius said, as James led him to a seat that magically appeared. "I am so sorry."

"For what? I am so sorry that you spent 12 years in Azkaban because of me. That you have to be imprisoned in the house that we vowed you would never return to."

James and Sirius exchanged a mischievous look remembering the long list of things that they had made of things they would do to Grimmauld Place and Walburga Black.

"I am so sorry that despite our agreement Harry ended up with Horse face and the donkey."

"I am so sorry that-"

James paused. He smiled widely. He pulled out a chessboard quite like he had that night long long ago. "Come on. We have time for one game of chess before Lily finds us."

Sirius laughed, his bark-like laugh, a full laugh for the first time in fourteen years, and obliged.

Sirius moved his black knight to win the game… His life was complete he had his best mate. What else did he need?


End file.
